Oprah Winfrey

Biography

Raised in rural Mississippi poverty, Winfrey turned emotional candour into a media empire: the highest-rated talk show in American history, a book club that could mint bestsellers overnight, and a fortune that made her the first Black woman billionaire. Her interviews remain cultural events.

American media executive and entrepreneur who turned a Chicago talk show into one of the most influential media brands in the world.

Known for

The Oprah Winfrey Show, Harpo Productions and the OWN network.

Notable works & defining projects

• The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Harpo Productions
• Oprah's Book Club

Notable achievements

• Hosted The Oprah Winfrey Show for 25 seasons (1986-2011)
• First Black woman billionaire, per Forbes
• Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2013) and an honorary Academy Award for humanitarian work

Timeline

1. 1986The Oprah Winfrey Show went national and quickly became daytime TV's No. 1
2. 1996Launched Oprah's Book Club, which repeatedly sent chosen titles to No. 1
3. 2011Ended the show after 25 seasons and launched the OWN network

Did you know?

• Her first name comes from the biblical figure Orpah; it was misread on her birth certificate and the misreading stuck
• She began in radio while still at high school in Nashville, reading news at local station WVOL